


Those Dang Onions

by catradorq



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Fluff, Light Angst, Road Trips, confident!clementine, disaster gay!violet, lee owns a farm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-10-22 00:35:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17652659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catradorq/pseuds/catradorq
Summary: Violet loves her friends but hates road trips. When she finds herself going through some really tough times, Louis is there to pull her away from it all... and out into the middle of nowhere on a road trip through the countryside. She doesn't think that getting stuck at a local farmers place in the middle of a storm was part of the plan but hey, the family is nice, the food is good, and the company of the farmer's daughter? Even better. If only there weren't so many onions around.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there, so this is my first fic on this site but I've been a long time reader. Decided to try my hand at writing for once. comments and crits welcome. hope you enjoy.

The world outside the windows of Marlon’s beat up old van was nothing but a barren sea of wheat and corn fields, blurring by with the speed of the vehicle. Violet could count on one hand the number of trees she had seen in the past hour but she eventually grew too bored to keep track. 

Instead, she finds her eyes wandering from the landscape to observe the interior of the van. She peers over at Brody who is curled up to the window to Violet’s right, knees pulled up as a perch for the book the girl seems entirely invested in. Violet snorts internally. Knowing Brody, it was most likely one of the trashy romance novels the girl had tried so hard to pretend she didn’t love. It was kinda pointless, though. She could never hide it from Violet, they were roommates after all. Not to mention the fact that the other girl was the biggest romantic in the history of day dreamers. Violet couldn't help but crack a smile when she recalled the image of excitement that had filled Brody’s eyes the moment Louis spontaneously declared they were going on this grand road trip. 

The smile that had been lingering at the corners of Violet’s mouth immediately turned down at the reminder of the whole reason they were on road in the first place. She sighed and moved her gaze to the passenger seat where her best friend slouched back, fast asleep. Socked feet on the dash, empty bag of chips he still partially had a hand in, and mouth gaping open with snores rolling from his chest. It would have been endearing had he not sounded like a bear in the middle of hibernation.

Violet loved Louis.She really did, but sometimes she couldn't decide whether or not she should have pushed him into the river that one time back when they were kids. 

If she had, she wouldn't be cooped up in Marlon’s rolling death trap of a car, surrounded by a shit ton of farmland and god knows how many miles away from her soft, dark, safe bed. 

Where Violet was seriously wishing she was now.

There, she could bury herself in a million blankets until she couldn't see sunlight and maybe she could just forget everything.

There, she could hide away where no one but Brody would even get the slightest chance to hear her chest heaving with pent up sobs.

Violet would never not be thankful to have Louis as a best friend but she really wished that he was a little less...extravagant in his gestures of comfort. The thought was nice but … a road trip? He even had the annoying nerve not tell her where they were going to end up at the end of it. Curse Louis for being so persuasive and Violet for being too emotionally drained to say no to her friend’s prodding.

Maybe there was a small part of her that was kinda glad he had pulled her away from the city...away from her...but Violet didn’t let that thought go too far, else it bring up far worse ones. 

Violet’s mind faded back to focus as her eyes caught something through the front window of the vehicle. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the sight of dark clouds amassing ahead of the road. She caught Marlon’s eyes watching her from the rearview mirror.

“See it too, huh?” Marlon’s face, tired with hours of driving was scrunched up in mild concern. 

Violet scoffed. “How could I miss it? The weather reports didn’t say anything about a storm out here.” She leans forward resting her elbow on the shoulder of the driver’s seat and eyeing the ominous grey tint of the sky

“Yeah I guess it came in pretty quick, no one saw it coming.”

Violet hears Brody shift over as she gently closes her book and peers out her own window. “It’s getting awful dark guys. Should we find somewhere to stop for the night? I don’t think any of us would be too fond of driving through the rain at night…” And as if taking the cue from her words the sky opens up and fat droplets of water smatter rhythmically against the surface of the windows. Marlon curses and flips on the windshield wipers to clear the rapidly fogging glass. 

“Somebody wake Louis up. He’s the one who knows where we’re going.” Marlon throws over his shoulder as he reaches to turn on the car’s radio. Nothing but static fills the air. “Man, we really are in the middle of nowhere…”

Violet and Brody look over each other in unison a smirk forming on both their faces. Seeing as Brody is sitting right behind their target, Violet gives a sharp nod, letting the other woman do the honors. 

“Looouis.”

“Mmf..” The man stirs, gaping mouth shutting minutely before falling slack again. Brody is leaning as far forward as her seat belt allows.

“Lou!”

“Nnng..go away…good dream...pretty girl” Louis mumbles incoherently, swatting with the hand still halfway into an empty chip bag and curling to hug himself. Violet snorts and Brody rolls her eyes, shrugging her shoulders in an Oh well, I tried gesture before she is sucking in a lungful of air.

“LOUIS OH GOD WE’RE GOING TO FUCKING CRASH!” 

“AHGAHH WHAT! NO I’M TOO YOUNG DIE NO!” Louis jumps forward arms flailing, movement so quick that his seatbelt locks and bounces him back into the seat with a yelp. He’s breathing hard and patting his face dramatically for any lacerations or deathly injuries, while the other occupants of the van erupt in raucous laughter. It takes a minute for the ruffled man to realize that they aren’t, in fact, going to crash and he deflates with a pout. 

“Ha ha. Very funny, guys. You just watch, in a real crash only the prettiest survive.” Louis chuckles and turns exaggeratedly to bat his eyelashes at them.

“So everyone but you.” Violet retorts. 

“Yeah you’re absolutely right, Vi. I’m next level gorgeous so I guess the world wouldn't be able handle my existence aways.”

“Ugh you dork.” Violet rolls her eyes but doesn’t quite manage to fight off the smile.

Marlon chuckles at their antics before reaching for something on top of the dash and pushing it in Louis’ direction. “C’mon Sleeping Beauty, where should we stop if we don't want to get stuck out in the middle of this storm?” 

Louis cranes his neck to squint out at the road before gazing down at map Marlon had given him. “Okay alright then...Macon County huh...There should actually be a farm around here somewhere if my memory is good, which it is by the way so- Aha!” Louis excitedly points a finger out at the windshield to what looks like the beginning of a muddy dirt road splitting off the main one. “There!” 

Marlon hurriedly obeys and soon instead of asphalt, the van is rolling along a gravel-like path. It's hard to make out with the rain falling harder and faster but there, out farther among the corn and wheat, is the silhouette of several buildings, hazy in the droplet covered windows. Violet watches as the they approach the fenced off area, passing the wood gated section serving as the entrance. Farther down the path leads to what looks like the main house, a small, cozy thing that Violet thinks looks exactly like what she had expected to find on a farm. It even had the white wood paneling and porch swing. 

Marlon carefully slows a small distance from the house and stops the car, leaning back and looking at the rest of them. Louis is slipping on and lacing his boots while Brody carefully stows her precious novel into her small bag. Violet is still staring out into the rain, determining that the next, larger building closest to the house must be a barn. She narrows her eyes at the large wooden door that has been seemingly left open and is opening and closing with the wind and rain. 

“Okay so who's coming down with me to talk to whoever owns this place?” Marlon inquires, eyeing the front of the house and the distance they’d have to run to reach the door. 

“I volunteer Louis.” Violet immediately suggests, not even turning her gaze away from out the window.

“Seconded” Brody chimes in.

“Mm I guess I will then. Jokes on you, I wanted to go.” Louis huffs playfully and then he and Marlon are stepping out and slamming the doors shut, covering their heads as they race for the safety of the porch. 

Meanwhile, Violet’s gaze is still focused on the barn doors. There is a light shining out from within, illuminating the dim yard area by just a fraction. It was nearly dusk when they had spotted the clouds, now evening was slowly approaching and the farm was drenched in both the rain and the cover of night. The porch light was the only lighting.

“What do you think they keep in there?” Brody wondered leaning over to look where Violet was. 

“Cows. Sheep maybe.”

“Oh I’d really like to see that. Maybe some horses too but last time I saw one I ended up on my ass cause my Pa thought it was funny to spook the thing.” Brody continues with her story but Violet was only half listening. She spies a quick movement of shadow in the doorway of the barn. She presses her hand to the window trying to get a better look, but the rain is a heavy curtain at this point, distorting whatever she could see. 

“Oh hey! There’s Marlon! He’s telling us to come over. Let’s go Vi.”

Violet turns too and spots the familiar figure of their friend stood in the house’s doorway, waving his hand to them. With one last look back, Violet nods to Brody and both of them steel themselves for the run. They go on three, each opening their doors quickly and stepping out into the pouring weather. In a matter of seconds Violet feels her clothes begin to soak through, gritting her teeth at the cold wind that she hadn’t realized started up. Her steps are weighed, as she dashes through the muddy yard area and over to where Marlon is. He greets them both and gestures for them to follow. They are quickly engulfed in the warmth of the house and it's a big relief after the hell outside. 

The foyer is small but comfortable, there’s a set of stairs disappearing into dim light to their left and to their right a wall lined with mismatched picture frames. 

“Take your shoes off here, I don’t want us tracking mud through Mr.Everett’s place when he’s so kindly agreed to let us stay for a while.” Marlon gestures to the main entrance where Violet can see his sneakers and Louis’ boots placed over a mat to dry. As Violet bends down to unlace her own she notices the other several pairs of shoes that are line up against the wall. Looked like about three people lived here if the pair of Disco Broccoli patterned kids sneakers, beat up old Chucks, and large work boots were anything to go by.

They follow Marlon out of the foyer on socked feet, and into a living area, with a nice open view of the kitchen where they see Louis and tall, broad man making conversation. 

Louis, ever the quick tongue, spots them first and smirks. 

“Look what the rat dragged in. Two drowned cats.” 

As soon as the other man turns to give them a welcoming smile Violet finds herself immediately taking a liking to his warm, fatherly energy. Which is saying a lot, since Violet isn’t much of a people person to begin with. 

“Welcome ladies. Your friends here have been telling me about how you got here. Macon is known for these surprise storms, I’m glad you kids found my farm. Not much else around until town.” He steps forward and shakes both of the newcomers hands firmly. “Lee Everett”

“Brody, and this quiet one here is Violet.” Brody chuckles and nudges the woman in question. Violet rolls her eyes and smiles a little, letting out a small “Hey.”

“Thank you for letting us crash here. We weren’t looking forward to spending the night in the van in this weather.” Marlon voices.

“Or in any weather.” Violet mumbles under her breath, which only Brody catches, laughing quietly. 

Lee claps his hands together and grins. “Well, all of you are welcome to stay for however long it takes to wait out this weather. I’ll be expecting a few helping hands to prepare dinner but I promise you, you can’t get cooking like mine in the city.”

Louis is the first to jump in. “I can help with that, our chef friend Omar lets me watch him all the time when he cooks. I’m basically an expert by now.”

Lee chuckles as everyone else rolls their eyes. “You girls can set up the table in the dining room, plates are over in the cabinet. Seven sets please.” Violet and Brody nod and make their way over while Lee and Louis get busy in the kitchen. 

“Hey Mr. Everett? Mind if I use your bathroom?” Marlon questions as he leans against the counter. 

The taller man’s mouth ticks up in a grin. “First of all, you can call me Lee. Not even my kids call me anything but that. And secondly, not at all, son. Up the stairs and first to the left.” 

Marlon nods and makes to head back towards the foyer. 

“Oh and Marlon? Could you please tell my son that he should come down to help too. Should be in his room just across from it” 

“Will do, sir.” 

~

The house is filled with laughter and singing as, after they were done, the girls wandered in to help with the meal. Louis and Lee had started up into a offkey duet of several songs as they stirred or chopped and no one could keep the laughter from coming at their dramatic performance. 

Marlon joined them later, glued to his hip, a kid eight years old who had seemingly roped the man into a conversation about dogs.

“You have a dog?! Is she with you? Can I pet her?”

Marlon patted the boys shoulder with a happy laugh. He always loved talking about Rosie. “I do, but sorry bud. We left her at home with our friend, Ruby. You would have liked her though. She’s big and tough, kinda like you.”

The boy puffed out his chest with a serious expression before deflating into giggling when he couldn’t keep it up. 

Lee introduces him to the rest of the group as AJ, his son and second child. “My girl, Clementine, is in the barn getting the animals setup before the storm gets too bad.” 

Violet looks up from her work of chopping onions and tilts her head. So that was the shadow she had seen in the barn. She is shocked out of her thoughts when a small hand is tugging on her sleeve and she looks down to see AJ smiling up at her.

“Can I help chop?”

Violet looks down at the kitchen knife and back to the child. “Uh...sure.” 

They set up a method. AJ finding a stool to stand on so he could reach the counter easily, and Violet behind him, hands on his own small ones to help guide the knife.

“My eyes are sad.” AJ pouts.

“What?” 

“My eyes, they keep crying but I’m not sad, so they must be sad.” AJ insists. Violet pauses before chuckling.

“They’re not sad. It’s the onions.”

“Onions can be sad?”

“No, I mean they make you cry”

“Oh. So it’s the onions that make you sad, huh.”

“ Uh that’s not wh-“ 

There’s a loud bang in the direction of the front door followed by some cursing and footsteps.

“Clem!” 

Violet isn’t fast enough to keep the knife from missing its target as AJ jumps and bumps her arm, trying to squirm down to run for the door. Thankfully it missed the kid and he is already halfway to the foyer by the time Violet is left pressing the on cut to her thumb. She hisses in pain and moves away from the cutting board to keep the blood from getting anywhere near the vegetables. It’s not that deep and the flow isn’t too bad, but man does it sting. 

“Shit.”

“Violet, are you alright?” Lee comes over after hearing the commotion. “May I?” Violet nods stiffly and he gently takes her hand to examine the damage. Lee sighs and grabs a small hand towel wrapping around the injury. “I’m very sorry about that. AJ can be...excitable sometimes and forgets to be careful.”

“It’s okay. It was an accident.”

“Well regardless, I have to finish up here and get everyone ready for dinner. If I heard correctly, Clementine should be with AJ, she knows where the first aid kit is and can probably patch you up better than I could anyways.” Lee pats Violets shoulder gently and instructs her in the direction of the stairs.

She leaves the sound of her friends conversing and laughing in the kitchen, padding her way to the main entrance where the staircase was. She hears AJ’s excited voice followed by the softer murmur of a second. 

“-onions, Clem! Did you know they make you sad? I think we should stop eating them.” 

“Is that so? And who told you that?”

“The pretty lady who helped me cut them! She's in the- oh wait! She’s right there!” AJ points to the end of the hall where Violet had just turned the corner. 

Violet is frozen, a deer caught in the headlights as both pairs of eyes snap to her. The woman is around her own age, kneeling down to AJ’s height and peering up at her curiously. Violet, on her part, can’t really help but stare.

The other girl is beautiful. All amber eyes and tanned skin. Her frame is slight but Violet could tell just how much farm work she must have done by the way her soaked baseball shirt molded over toned muscle. Violets eyes track their movement as the woman, Clementine her brain helpfully supplies, smoothly stands. Her stomach swoops. Even soaking wet, with drops of rainwater clinging to her skin, eyelashes, and ratty old baseball cap, the woman was pretty as hell.

And Violet was standing in the middle of this gorgeous person’s home, frozen speechless like and idiot, and most likely dripping blood onto the nice entrance rug. 

Shit.

Louis would never let her live this down.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clem helps Violet out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I already had the chapter done so i decided that i might as well just post it right now. Its a bit shorter than the first but I don't think many of the later chapters will be as long as that one anyways. And I don't know when I'll have some free time again so updates will probably be slow after this. But I am determined to finish this someday. comments and crits help. hope you enjoy.

“So your the one who told AJ onions would make him sad?” 

Clementine has an amused smirk upon her face, hip cocked and hand placed upon it in a confident manner. Violet can’t help but feel pinned by that gaze.

“That’s not what I meant, uh, I-I meant that-“ Great now she was stuttering? Violet has never wanted to smack herself more than that moment

“Eh. Never liked those things anyways.” Clementine chuckles. She turns her head to look down at AJ who was staring between them with excitement. “Hey kiddo, go on back to the kitchen. Maybe you can convince Lee to hold off on the onions tonight.”

“Okay! Are both of you coming too?”

Clementine’s eyes sweep back over Violet and zeroes in on the hand towel that was spotting some questionable red stains at this point. 

Violet tries her best to keep it out of AJ’s line of sight, so as not to worry him. 

“You go on ahead. Promise to save us some seats, yeah?”

“You got it, Clem!” And with that AJ is racing back into the kitchen as if on a mission. The two women could hear the excited shouts and Clem is shaking her head with a smile.

“So I guess chopping onions isn’t really your thing?” She makes the few steps to reach out and take Violet’s wrapped hand in both her own. Gently she pries the towel away to inspect it and Violet watches Clementine’s eyebrows furrow in concern. She was almost a bit too distracted to answer.

“Um yeah. We usually let Omar handle the cooking back home. Although I’m not usually this clumsy, I swear, it was just an accident.” 

Clem glances up, returning the pressure back upon the wound and giving Violets hands a squeeze before letting go and nodding. “Come on, I’ll get you fixed up. I’ve gotta change anyways.” And with that she leads the way up the stairs. 

The walls leading up to the landing are covered in the same amount of mismatched picture frames, all displaying various members of the Everett family smiling out of them. Violet sees many of Clementine and AJ, some with other people and some alone, and she wonders what it’s like being in such a photogenic family. 

“I’m Clementine, by the way. But I guess Lee would have already told you.” She opens the first door to the left, and turns on the light to reveal the brightly colored bathroom. 

“Violet”

“Mm like the color? Or the flower?”

Caught off guard with the question, Violet blinks and stares as the other girl is moving about the familiar space and gathering the materials she’d need. 

“I honestly don’t know. What about you? Like the fruit or the song?” She wants to laugh when she spies the dancing broccoli that cover the bath curtain.

“Well, probably the fruit. Dad, always said I was pretty sweet as a kid.” Clementine says with a hint of a laugh in her tone. She gestures for Violet to sit on the closed lid of the toilet before kneeling next to her. She begins to unwrap the wound.

“I can see that. Your dad is a nice man. Really nice of him to let us wait out the storm.” 

“Oh yeah, he is, but Lee isn’t actually my dad. Best father figure I could ask for but I’m adopted. Me and AJ both. Dad died a while ago.” There’s a harsh sting as Clementine begins to clean the cut and Violet hisses, pacified only by the gentle ‘sorry’ the girl gives her.

“That’s cool. You seem really close. You and AJ.” 

“Always been.” Clementine turns to grab a some cotton and bandage to wrap around it. “Comes with being a sister and a friend.” She smiles fondly at the thought of her little brother. 

Violet thinks about what it would have been like to have a little sibling, but finds her breath catching in her chest when she comes to the realization that, she already knew what it felt like. She allows herself to think about Sophie and the kind of sister-like relationship they had. Had being the keyword. There was no rewinding time, no going back to that moment where it was just Sophie, Violet and…  
Damn it, she missed that girl. 

She doesn’t even realize that her eyes begin to tear up until she notices Clementine looking up at her with concern. There’s a small moment of hesitation in which Clementine looks like she’s considering something, before the woman is leaning forward and engulfing Violet in her arms. It’s a bit awkward with one sitting and the other kneeling but it’s more than Violet expected from an almost stranger. She shuts her eyes and takes the comfort, letting herself breathe for a minute, letting the old memories fade for the time being and instead focusing on the feel of a steady body grounding her. When Clementine pulls away there’s a question in her eyes that Violet can’t bring herself to answer. 

“I’m okay, ugh god I’m sorry, it’s nothing. Thanks for that, I just…. must be those onions y’know.” She sniffs and uses her good hand to roughly brush away any evidence that she had almost cried in front of this woman. 

On her end, Clementine looks doubtful but decides not to push. Instead, she shoots Violet a soft reassuring smile. “Anytime, Violet. Don’t be sorry. Those country fresh onions can be pretty intense.” Violet gives a laugh, relieved that she was willing to brush off the slip, and accepts the hand Clementine offers. They pull each other up and Violet examines her wrapped hand, impressed by the neatness of it all. 

“You do this a lot?” 

“With AJ around, I had a lot of opportunities to learn the best ways to do it. Also thanks to Lee teaching me how.” There’s a bit of red in her cheeks and she looks off to the side, smiling sheepishly. “But.. to be honest, I get into more trouble than both of them combined.”

Violet laughs and raises a brow. “Oh? Like what?”

Clementine sports a goofy grin that makes Violets stomach flip with sudden intense fondness. “This and that. But I think I’d rather not embarrass myself in front of a pretty girl.” 

Violet’s eyes widen and her face grows flushed as Clementine turns away and casually makes her way out of the bathroom and down the hall to what she assumes are the bedrooms. Violet takes a minute, turning to see her own pink cheeks and soft smile in the bathroom mirror, coming to a realization. 

This girl knows exactly what she’s doing to me, oh god.

She quickly follows the sound of the other woman’s footsteps down the hall and into the only door that is open.

The room is small. A bed, dresser, desk and bookshelf crowd the walls but in no way does it feel too stuffy. The walls are a muted white, with several picture frames adorning their surfaces. One window takes up the far end with the desk beneath it and Violet cringes when she sees how violently the wind is whipping the rain against the glass. She’s surprised she hadn’t noticed the sound sooner. 

The next thing Violet notices is the little trinkets and items scattered all over the room. Books in the shelf, as expected, but next to it a collection of what seems to be small animal skulls. On the desk, neatly arranged, are pots of various plants, from flowers to succulents. And next to the pictures on the wall hang several drawings, all scribbled and signed with ‘From: AJ, To: Clem’ at the very bottom. It all feels so homey, such stark contrast to Violet’s own room back in her and Brody’s shared apartment.

Clementine is by the dresser pulling out clothes with her back turned to the door. Violet wouldn’t have thought that Clementine heard her come in had it not been for her speaking as soon as Violet steps into the doorway. 

“So, I should apologize for when I hugged you,” She pulls a black shirt halfway out of the drawer before shaking her head and stuffing it back in. Violet is about to interrupt to tell her it was fine but Clementine speeds on. “I might have forgotten that I’ve been running out in the rain for the past hour and… I think your shirts kinda soaked too so.. here” 

Violet stares at the offered clothing for a second before looking down at herself and finding, that yes, the dampness that had dried a fair amount while she was helping cook dinner was present down her front. Distinctly Clementine-shaped, she muses internally.

“Thanks, but we might be leaving soon anyways.” 

There was a particularly harsh sound of scraping wind and rain falling against the farmhouses’ old roof which Violet was sure was the Universe's way of proving her wrong. Clementine laughs and firmly shoves the bundle into Violet’s arms. 

“Trust me. Storms around here can last for days sometimes. I don’t think you guys will be leaving too soon. And if I know Lee, he’s not letting you leave anytime before morning with the weather like this.” She smiles and turns back to the drawer, only taking a second to find the clothes she needed for herself. 

Violet is about to argue, mouth opening with another polite protest, but she’s backtracking quickly when she sees Clementine reach for the hem of her wet baseball shirt. Violet damn near let’s out a squeak, the most un-Violet like sound ever, while stumbling backwards through the bedroom door. 

“UM I-I’ll just go change! Over there!”

She can’t unsee it, accidentally catching sight of the woman’s toned shoulders and back as the last thing she sees before she’s taking the clothes and rushing down the hall towards the bathroom. 

With bundle clutched to her heaving chest and back to the closed door, Violet swears she can hear the other woman’s distinct laughter over the rain. 

She sighs and after a minute of panic, decides that she might as well see what Clementine had picked out for her. There are two things, a pair of soft red flannel pajamas, which Violet greatly approves of, along with a black T-shirt. She turns it over to see the design and her jaw goes slack.

On the front is a cartoon illustration of a cute zombie character that takes up most of the space. In a white speech bubble next to it, is the words ‘I chews you’ written in a cheesy horror font and splattered with exaggerated blood stains.

Louis might actually die from laughter if Violet walks out like this. She sighs. Then, thinks about Clementine’s smile.

Ugh.

Fuck it.

Violet pulls off her soaked shirt with a groan, resigned to her inevitable fate. Her head is dreading the mental blocks it will have to put up to protect her brain cells from the expected assault of teasing she knew her friends would no doubt initiate.

But her heart can’t help but feel like she’d take that and more to see that damn smile again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner time at the Everett's.

Clementine knocks on the door somewhere around the time Violet is staring at herself in the mirror and trying to come to terms with the fact that she might just die on the spot. 

It’s cute. Everything about it.

The flannel pajamas, rolled up a few times because she hates to admit it, but Clementine is a bit taller. The black zombie T-shirt, she was sure must have been bought somewhere around Valentine’s Day, with its cheesy-ness. And Violet’s blushing face that just completes it all. 

She can’t help it. It’s cute. But Violet isn’t cute, no one is supposed think she can be cute. It ruins her image. 

She hates herself for the fact that she kinda… doesn't care. 

The clothes are soft and they smell like laundry detergent mixed with a softer undertone of something Violet is pretty sure is purely Clementine. So, she sure as hell isn't going to complain too much.

There are several raps against the bathroom’s door that causes Violet to jump in surprise and turn away from her musing in the mirror. 

“Hey Violet? Lee says dinner is ready. I’ll wait for you so we can head down together alright.” Clementines voice is muffled through the wood but Violet is picturing the warm smile that the tone hints at. She takes a breath and steels herself.

“Okay. I’ll be out in a minute!” Violet gathers her damp clothes and folds them as best as she can before reaching over to the doors handle. 

Despite her saying she’d wait, Violet doesn’t really expect to see Clementine leaning against the wall opposite of the bathroom. The woman stands with her head down, lost in thought, arms folded and heel pressed to the surface behind her with a casual air. 

Her eyes shoot up as soon as the door opens and they pin Violet with their quiet intensity. There is a short moment where both are frozen, gazes roaming to fully take in the others appearance. 

Clementine had changed as well, shucking her wet baseball T and jeans for a more comfortable pair of grey sweatpants and a pull over hoodie with ‘Brooklyn’ printed across the chest. The blue and white baseball cap, with its frayed edges and faded colors, is still present in its rightful place atop her head. 

Clementine recovers from the moment first and smoothly straightens herself so she isn’t leaning against the wall. She places a hand on her hip and looks Violet up and down in an exaggerated manner as if judging her outfit. 

“I want to say that I wore it better, but wow. This is pretty damn cute.” She hums in appreciation, eyes raising up and finally reaching the half hearted scowl on Violet’s face. Clementine’s mock serious expression cracks into a smile at the sight.

“I’m not cute.” Violet grumbles, although she can’t deny how her stomach feels fluttery at the compliment 

“Sure.” Clementine steps closer and reaches out to pick some imaginary lint off Violet’s shoulder before her hand moves up to the side of her face. Violet’s heart skips a beat, breath catching when she feels light fingertips meet her hairline. Clementine is focused wholey on her action, eyes not meeting Violet’s as she pushes the stray lock of hair behind the other girls ear. “You look great, Violet.” She says it softly but the confidence and sureness of it makes Violet’s cheeks tint a vibrant red as if she had said something much bolder.

“Thanks..” 

There’s a loud thumping sound from below which startle the two out of the quiet second, followed by the excited shouts that no doubt belong to AJ. 

“Clem! C’mon everyone is waiting on you guys! We’re all hungry!” 

Clementine roll her eyes and grins at Violet, ready to answer back before a second voice is calling up the stairs. One that is decidedly not an eight year old’s.

“Yeah Violet! Don’t be a selfish company hog, some of us still haven’t even got to meet this legendary ‘Clem’!” 

Meeting Clementine’s eyes, the charged air dissipating, Violet groans and rolls her own. She turns her head slightly to call back. 

“Hey AJ?”

“Yep?”

“Would you kick Louis for me?”

She expects there to be at least a question as to why or a polite refusal but there is no hesitation. They hear a muffled ‘thump’ and a sharp, almost flabbergasted ‘hey!’ following her words. 

“Aw c’mon little man!”

“What? She told me to.”

There is a series of grumbling growing softer as the two head away from the stairs and Clementine claps a hand to her mouth holding back a laugh. Violet can’t help the cheeky smirk that crosses her face. 

“So, AJ really likes me.”

“Yeah, well I’m going to have to deal with the both of you troublemakers now don’t I?” Clementine chuckles, her tone playful and smile soft as she shakes her head. 

Violet follows her as they make their way over to and down the staircase. “Yeah I guess so…”

~

The table is set and most everyone is seated somewhere around it by the time the two girls make their way into the brightly lit dining room. The seat at the head of the table is unoccupied as Lee can be heard whistling a tune from the kitchen. On its right, sit Marlon and Brody locked in what looks to be heated conversation but as Violet listens closer, is really about whether or not someone other than Marlon can drive his beat up van. 

Violet chuckles. Marlon would rather cut off an arm than let someone else mess with his ‘baby’. Not after what Louis put it through when they were still in school. 

Louis, who lounges on Brody’s other side, wisely decides not to interject into the banter and instead amuses himself by shooting goofy expressions at AJ. 

True to his word, AJ, sitting on the left of the tables’ center seat, had saved two seats by his side for both girls. 

The boy grins at them as Clementine and Violet appear at the dining rooms entrance. No longer having the kids attention, Louis also turns to look at them before pausing, his eyes growing wide as he finds Violet. Then a cheshire grin splits his face. 

Violet knew that expression. It was the exact one she had been dreading as soon as she put on the shirt. 

“Louis, I swea-“

There is a low whistle that cuts her off. Coming from the kitchen, hot food in hand, Lee takes a moment to appraise the new comers. 

“Nice clothes there, kid. They seem kinda familiar” The man grins. Violet, fully expecting teasing words from her friends was nothing but stunned. She chanced a glance over at her companion and was even more surprised to see the confident composed girl she had met was tinged pink across her tan cheeks. The words were not meant to tease at Violet, but at Clementine. 

“Shush up, Lee” Clementine mutters with a shy smile before finding her seat next to AJ and gesturing for Violet to take the seat next to her. Lee, on his part, only offers a rich laugh and makes to set the food in the center of the table.

“Spaghetti, no onions!” He announces cheerfully. 

The table breaks into a loud din as the others readily prepare their plates, silverware clinking and conversation filling the space in between. As Violet sits, her embarrassment fading, she looks up and meets Louis’ eyes from across the table. The man wiggles his eyebrows at her and grins. Violet glares.

‘What?’ She mouths to him, no sound coming forth so as not to alert anyone of their silent exchange. 

Louis’ grin widens and he pointedly looks over at Clementine, who’s attention is occupied by AJ. ‘She’s cute.’ He mouths back. 

Violet looks over quickly and catches sight of Clementine’s smile that is directed at her little brother. 

‘So what?’

Louis gives a ‘oh you know what’ kind of look and Violet helplessly shrugs, trying to act as if she doesn’t know exactly what he is insinuating. 

‘You liiiike her’

Violet scoffs and looks away, unwilling to entertain his thought. It didn’t mean it she wasn’t thinking about it though. 

“Vi-“ Louis catches himself, as Violet shoots him a sharp look.

The residents of the farmhouse seem oblivious to their exchange, instead listening to a story Marlon has brought up. But Violet catches Brody’s eyes watching them before shooting away as if she hadn’t just seen what was going on.

Violet slouches down into her seat with an internal groan. If one figures something out, they all would know. She both loves and hates her best friends. 

Her attention is soon captured by the food, and they make it most of the way through dinner with several stories and many laughs. Clementine introducing herself formerly to the others somewhere in the beginning, seemingly impressing all of Violet’s friends as easily as she did Violet. Brody and Louis, especially, make it a small competition to see who can get the farm girl to laugh the hardest. So far, Clementine was a master at keeping a straight face, only serving to fuel the duo’s competitive spirit. Marlon was more interested in hearing about the various jobs the woman does around the farm along with Lee, all to keep the place up and running. 

“So you guys do all that? By yourselves?”

“Yessir, just two of us. Well... until the lil man here can start pulling more weight around.” Lee leans over to try and ruffle the boy but AJ wards off the assault with giggling laughs. 

“That sure is a lot.” Marlon looks down in contemplative awe for a moment before nodding to himself and taking a fork full of pasta into his mouth. 

Lee let’s AJ be after a moment, continuing to smile at the group.

“So, you kids out here on the road together. Sounds exciting. What brought you out here?”

At the question, Violet tenses.  
They all had a vague idea of why Louis had suddenly gathered the group into the van and onto the road. None of them were oblivious to the fact that Violet was suffering in the city. Alone in that apartment. That room. They hadn’t even seen her for months after the funeral, despite the fact she worked at Louis’ family’s company. Even when she moved in with Brody, the group could only coax her out of her normal routine of work and sleep on the best of days. Which were few and far between. 

All of that bleakness. It seemed like farther away when Violet looks back now, surrounded by the warm glow of an unfamiliar farmhouse. It had only been days in reality. 

Maybe this trip *was* working like Louis had planned. 

And Louis, like usual, sweeps in to save the day.

“Well, Mr. Everett-“

“Lee”

“Ah yes. Well, Lee. Young people like us. City kids. Tend to get caught up in all the hustle and bustle of a fast paced life and forget to appreciate the little things. I, because I’m honestly the most down to earth person obviously, had the great idea to show these knuckleheads what real living looks like. See the country, breathe the fresh air!” 

“Yeah? And how’s that fresh air treating you?” Lee chuckles, amused gaze wandering over to the window, where the rain had not stopped its harsh torrent against the pane. 

“Like a dream.” Louis sighs wistfully. He smirks and seems to drop the exaggerated act for his next words. 

“But really,” He straightens and puts his fork down. “The real reason we’re out here is to find Marlon a girl that won’t run at the first sight of the rat nest he calls hair.” Suddenly he gazes intensely over at Clementine. Violet narrows her eyes at Louis before also eyeing her curiously for her response. 

The woman freezes, caught in mid swallow. Her eyes dart to Marlon whose head is in his palms with embarrassment and back to Louis who is smirking up a storm. Then a single brow raises in defiance to Louis’ teasing. She swallows down the rest of her food.

“Look, I may look tougher than most gals but…” her tone is filled with mirth as she shoots Marlon a look of apology. “I dunno. What *is* up with your hair dude?” 

“Hey!” Marlon’s head shoots up in mock outrage. “I’ll have you know, that I’ve met several girls who’ve said I look cool.” He runs a hand over the shaved side of his hair and dramatically flips his head.

Brody snorts next to him. “And one of them was your ma …” 

The rest of the table erupts into laughter as Marlon huffs but ultimately joins in.

~ 

It’s towards the end of dinner, where everyone is leaned back in their chairs and recovering from the sheer amount of good food consumed, when AJ suddenly shoots up. He goes to grab his glass about halfway full of apple juice and recklessly waves it up into the air, uncaring at the amount of it that ends up onto the table until Clementine is scolding him. 

“AJ, slow down, bud.”

“Okay yeah, But c’mon Clem! Its toast time! Toast! Toast!” Again the boy waves out the drink to the confusion of all, but the residents of the farm who, in a much more calm manner, also reach out for their respective glasses. When Violet shoots her a questioning look, Clementine clears her throat and gestures at their glasses, she gives a pleading look that screams ‘please just go with it’. How could Violet say no to it, really. 

She takes her own glass, that at the start of dinner was full of water, and raises it into the air along with Lee and Clementine. The rest of Violet’s friends shrug and follow suit, only Louis raising his drink with as much enthusiasm as AJ had.

“A toast!” AJ bellows with glee. “To...um..to new people! To happiness! And to pros- um -prost..”

“Prosperity.” Clementine assists smoothly.

“Yeah that!” And with this declaration, AJ nearly jumps atop the table to clink his glass to Clementines and then over to Lee’s. Laughing, they both oblige the boy and it becomes a special sort of chaos as the other guests at the table clamber and reach to try to tap their glasses against AJ’s and each others. Much of the drinks had been refilled during the course of dinner and Violet laughs along with the rest as she tries to dodge the mess of liquid that comes showering down from their tangle of arms and glass cups. She glances over to see the absolute joy in Clementines face as she tries to clink her glass into Louis’ multiple times, starting a war that AJ was only too happy to join in with. Violet finds her arm hanging limp and her throat drying when that intensely joyful grin is directed over to her and the two women catch each other's eye amidst the playful chaos. 

Later, when Violet is laying in the dark, cheek resting against the unfamiliar fabric of the farmhouse couch throw pillow, she replays that happy smile over and over in her head. This, and all the other expressions Clementine had shown her in the time since they met. She wanted to remember them all. Keep some of that happiness, that softness, that quiet intensity locked away in her memories. She falls asleep to the sound of the rain falling against the roof and Clementine’s laughter ringing in her ears. 

Her subconscious pointedly decides to ignore the tiniest thought that is itching at the back of her mind as she falls into slumber.

In the morning, they’d leave. 

Violet didn’t want to think of the after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was longer than I expected it to be tbh. But anyways aside for some parts I'm pretty happy about how it turned out. Don't worry the before bed scene/ AJ's toasting tradition will be explained a bit more in the next chapter. which brings us to the dilemma, the gang is leaving the farm in the morning, what is Violets gay ass to do?


End file.
